Tracking children from poverty at risk for specific language impairment: A 3-year longitudinal study

1996 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 611-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara B. Fazio ◽  
Rita C. Naremore ◽  
Phil J. Connell

A 3-year longitudinal study of the language performance of children from poverty was designed to address the problem of separating children with a specific language impairment (SLI) from low-scoring normal children in the borderline area on the continuum of language performance where normal ends and abnormal begins. Two approaches to definition were compared: an experimental approach (using story-retelling, rote-memory ability, and invented-morpheme learning) and a traditional approach (using standardized-test discrepancy scores). Results indicated that 6 of 34 children tracked from kindergarten through second grade appeared to be SLI at the end of the study. The best kindergarten predictor for the outcome status of these 6 children was a combination of the score on the Oral Vocabulary subtest of the TOLD-2P and the score on a combination of the experimental tasks. The best single kindergarten predictor of the academic status of the 15 children in the study who received academic remediation was story-retelling. Children’s scores on the experimental and standardized tests of language performance and nonverbal intelligence were profiled over the 3 years of the study, and patterns of change in many instances reveal the lifting of the early influences of poverty.


1993 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 206-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holly K. Craig

Children with specific language impairment are at risk for social problems. This article discusses the available literature pertinent to understanding their peer relationships. In addition, a clinical case is provided to illustrate some of the social-interactional difficulties described.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 690-705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandra Auza Benavides ◽  
Maria Kapantzoglou ◽  
Chiharu Murata

Purpose This study assessed concurrent validity evidence for 2 grammatical tasks of a new screener, the Tamiz de Problemas de Lenguaje, for identifying monolingual Spanish-speaking children at risk for specific language impairment with grammatical deficits. Method A total of 770 4- to 6-year-old monolingual, Spanish-speaking children with and without language impairment were sampled from 3 different states in Mexico. Multiple logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were conducted to assess the predictive utility of the model and the classification accuracy of the tasks. The criterion was diagnosis of specific language impairment with grammatical deficits on the basis of a comprehensive language assessment. Results Results indicated that sensitivity estimates ranged from .90 to .94 and specificity estimates from .83 to .92. Overall, there was a good balance between sensitivity and specificity estimates with moderate to large positive and negative likelihood ratios. Conclusion Results suggested that the 2 grammatical tasks are suitable for identifying 4- to 6-year-old monolingual Spanish-speaking children at risk for grammatical deficits.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document